Manage your photo and video storage

Learn how photos and videos use your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch storage, ways to save space, and how to upgrade your iCloud storage if you’re running out.

The photos, music, apps, and other content that you use and enjoy on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch take up space on your device’s storage capacity. And your device can fill up quickly depending on the size of its storage capacity and how much content you have. If you see a message that your storage is full, you can free up space by managing your photo and video storage.

Check to see how much storage you have

See how much storage you have left on your device and in iCloud, and which apps use the most space.

Device storage

Go to Settings.

Tap General.

Tap iPhone Storage.

You might see recommendations for optimizing your storage, a list of your apps, and the amount of space each one uses.

iCloud storage

Go to Settings.

Tap [your name].

Tap iCloud.

You'll see how much space you have left in iCloud, the apps using your storage, and if you need to upgrade your storage plan.

If you're using iOS 10 or earlier, you'll see your device and iCloud storage in the same place. Go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage.

Store your photos and videos in iCloud

Your photos and videos are stored on your device in their original, high-resolution version. This means that they use a lot of space on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. With iCloud Photo Library, you can make more space available on your device and have your entire collection, everywhere you go.

With Optimize Storage, smaller, space-saving photos and videos are kept on your device while all of your original, full-resolution versions are stored in iCloud. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.